Cordyline plant named ‘Sprilecflash’

ABSTRACT

A new and distinct cultivar of  Cordyline  plant named ‘Sprilecflash’, characterized by its upright to semi-upright plant habit with leaves initially erect to outwardly arching and slightly recurving; moderately vigorous to vigorous growth habit; long lanceolate variegated leaves with brown and greyed yellow-colored longitudinal stripes; and excellent keeping quality and good garden performance.

Botanical designation: Cordyline banksii.

Cultivar denomination: ‘SPRILECFLASH’.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

The present invention relates to a new and distinct Cordyline plant, botanically known as Cordyline banksii and hereinafter referred to by the name ‘Sprilecflash’.

The new Cordyline plant is a naturally-occurring whole plant mutation of Cordyline banksii ‘Sprilecpink’, disclosed in U.S. Plant Pat. No. 19,213. The new Cordyline plant was discovered and selected by the Inventor from within a population of plants of ‘Sprilecpink’ in a controlled laboratory environment in Zhejiang, China in April, 2008.

Asexual reproduction of the new Cordyline plant by micropropagated cuttings in Zhejiang, China since April, 2008 has shown that the unique features of this new Cordyline plant are stable and reproduced true to type in successive generations.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

Plants of the new Cordyline have not been observed under all possible combinations of environmental conditions and cultural practices. The phenotype may vary somewhat with variations in environmental conditions such as temperature and light intensity, without, however, any variance in genotype.

The following traits have been repeatedly observed and are determined to be the unique characteristics of ‘Sprilecflash’. These characteristics in combination distinguish ‘Sprilecflash’ as a new and distinct Cordyline plant:

-   -   1. Upright to semi-upright plant habit with leaves initially         erect to outwardly arching and slightly recurving.     -   2. Moderately vigorous to vigorous growth habit.     -   3. Long lanceolate variegated leaves with brown and greyed         yellow-colored longitudinal stripes.     -   4. Excellent keeping quality and good garden performance.

Plants of the new Cordyline differ primarily from plants of the parent, ‘Sprilecpink’, in leaf color as plants of ‘Sprilecpink’ have red purple, greyed purple and brown-colored leaves.

Plants of the new Cordyline can be compared to plants of the Cordyline australis ‘Torbay Dazzler’, not patented. In side-by-side comparisons conducted in Mangrove Mountain, New South Wales, Australia, plants of the new Cordyline differed primarily from plants of ‘Torbay Dazzler’ in the following characteristics:

-   -   1. Plants of the new Cordyline were more freely clumping than         plants of ‘Torbay Dazzler’.     -   2. Leaves of plants of the new Cordyline and ‘Torbay Dazzler’         differed in color as plants of ‘Torbay Dazzler’ had green and         yellow variegated leaves with red-colored leaf bases.

Plants of the new Cordyline can also be compared to plants of the Cordyline banksii ‘Sprilecstar’, disclosed in U.S. Plant patent application Ser. No. 13/385,875. In side-by-side comparisons conducted in Mangrove Mountain, New South Wales, Australia, plants of the new Cordyline differed primarily from plants of the ‘Sprilecstar’ in leaf color as plants of ‘Sprilecstar’ had variegated leaves with dark brown, yellow green and greyed orange to greyed yellow-colored longitudinal stripes.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE PHOTOGRAPHS

The accompanying photographs illustrate the overall appearance of the new Cordyline plant showing the colors as true as it is reasonably possible to obtain in colored reproductions of this type. Colors in the photographs may differ slightly from the color values cited in the detailed botanical description which accurately describe the colors of the new Cordyline plant.

The photograph on the first sheet comprises side perspective view of typical plants of ‘Sprilecflash’ grown in containers under full sunlight conditions.

The photograph on the second sheet comprises side perspective view of typical plants of ‘Sprilecflash’ grown under full sunlight conditions.

DETAILED BOTANICAL DESCRIPTION

The aforementioned photographs and following observations and measurements describe plants grown during the spring, summer and autumn in 17.5-cm containers in an outdoor nursery and in a shadehouse in Mangrove Mountain, New South Wales, Australia and under cultural practices typical of commercial Cordyline plant production. During the production of the plants, day temperatures ranged from 20° C. to 30° C. and night temperatures ranged from 15° C. to 22° C. Light levels in the shadehouse ranged from 7,500 to 8,400 foot-candles and light levels under full sunlight conditions ranged from 10,000 to 11,000 foot-candles. Plants were ten months old when the photographs were taken and nine months old when the botanical description was taken. In the following description, color references are made to The Royal Horticultural Society Colour Chart, 2001 Edition, except where general terms of ordinary dictionary significance are used.

-   Botanical classification: Cordyline banksii ‘Sprilecflash’. -   Parentage: Naturally-occurring whole plant mutation of Cordyline     banksii ‘Sprilecpink’, disclosed in U.S. Plant Pat. No. 19,213. -   Propagation:     -   -   Type.—By micropropagated cuttings.         -   Time to initiate roots, summer.—About two weeks at             temperatures ranging from 25° C. to 35° C.         -   Time to initiate roots, winter.—About three weeks at             temperatures about 18° C.         -   Time to produce a rooted young plant, summer.—About one to             two months at temperatures about 25° C.         -   Time to produce a rooted young plant, winter.—About two             months at temperatures about 18° C.         -   Root description.—Medium thickness, fleshy; white in color.         -   Rooting habit.—Freely branching; dense. -   Plant description:     -   -   Plant and growth habit.—Upright to semi-upright plant habit             with leaves initially erect to outwardly arching and             slightly recurving; moderately vigorous to vigorous growth             habit; moderate to fast growth rate; plants grown under full             sunlight conditions are more upright and produce more leaves             per plant than plants grown under shadehouse conditions.         -   Plant height, full sunlight-grown plants.—About 51 cm to 62             cm.         -   Plant height, shadehouse-grown plants.—About 50 cm to 78 cm.         -   Plant diameter or spread, full sunlight-grown plants.—About             53 cm to 74 cm.         -   Plant diameter or spread, shadehouse-grown plants.—About 77             cm to 98 cm. -   Leaf description:     -   -   Arrangement.—Whorled; sessile.         -   Length, full sunlight-grown plants.—About 41 cm to 55 cm.         -   Length, shadehouse-grown plants.—About 53 cm to 71 cm.         -   Width, full sunlight-grown plants.—About 1.3 cm to 1.6 cm.         -   Width, shadehouse-grown plants.—About 1.4 cm to 2.1 cm.         -   Shape, full sunlight and shadehouse-grown             plants.—Lanceolate.         -   Apex, full sunlight and shadehouse-grown plants.—Acute.         -   Margin, full sunlight and shadehouse-grown plants.—Entire.         -   Cross-sectional profile, full sunlight-grown plants.—Towards             the base, strongly concave, flattening towards the middle of             the leaf to the apex.         -   Cross-sectional profile, shadehouse-grown plants.—Towards             the base, moderately to strongly concave, flattening towards             the middle of the leaf to the apex.         -   Texture, upper and lower surfaces, full sunlight and             shadehouse-grown plants.—Leathery; corrugated; glabrous.         -   Luster, upper and lower surfaces, full sunlight and             shadehouse-grown plants.—Slightly glossy.         -   Venation pattern, full sunlight and shadehouse-grown             plants.—Parallel.         -   Color, full sunlight-grown plants.—Developing leaves, upper             surface: Longitudinal stripes, close to 200A and between             154B and 5D; near midrib, occasional streaks, close to 63A.             Developing leaves, lower surface: Lighter than 200A and             close to 201A. Fully expanded leaves, upper surface:             Longitudinal stripes, close to 200A to 200B and 160C. Fully             expanded leaves, lower surface: Lighter than 200A and 201A.             Venation, upper and lower surfaces: Similar to surface             coloration.         -   Color, shadehouse-grown plants.—Developing leaves, upper             surface: Longitudinal stripes, close to 200A to 200B and             between 154B to 154C and 5B to 5C; near midrib, occasional             streaks, close to 63A. Developing leaves, lower surface:             Lighter than 200A and close to 201 A. Fully expanded leaves,             upper surface: Longitudinal stripes, close to 200B and 160C.             Fully expanded leaves, lower surface: Lighter than 200A and             201A. Venation, upper and lower surfaces: Similar to surface             coloration. -   Flower description: Flower initiation and development has not been     observed on plants of the new Cordyline. -   Disease & pest resistance: Plants of the new Cordyline have not been     shown to be resistant to pathogens and pests common to Cordyline     plants. -   Keeping quality: Excellent keeping quality; plants of the new     Cordyline are durable and will maintain good leaf substance     indefinitely. -   Garden performance: Plants of the new Cordyline have been observed     to have good garden performance and to tolerate wind, rain, full     sunlight and temperatures ranging from about 5° C. to about 45° C. 

It is claimed:
 1. A new and distinct Cordyline plant named ‘Sprilecflash’ as illustrated and described. 